Chapter 3 A Friend in Sickness

Disclaimer: The hobo wants to say something.

Hobo: I'm not a hobo and she doesn't own this story!

Me: What ever, the judge can think that if it keeps him off my back.

Hobo: you got any more money?

A coin is tossed.

Me: And once again, I am broke. If you sue me the only things you'll get is my bill and a hobo.

Let's do this thing…

Sesshomaru watched as the young woman opened her eyes and look at the hand she held, his hand. She looked up at him with confusion in those brilliant blue eyes of hers. He saw the moment she registered his face.

"Wh… who…?" she struggled to form words, but had a hard time focusing on what she wanted to say.

"May I have my hand back now?" Sesshomaru asked the confused woman.

She looked back at their intertwined hands and her eyes widened as if something had burned her. She released her hold of his hand.

"Rin, will you take care of her for now? I'm sick of watching this human" Sesshomaru stood and walked into the woods, without any emotion showing in those iced over eyes of his.

"Yes mi' lord." Rin hopped up from the fire and ran to where the woman lay. She held a canteen up to her mouth. After the woman had finished gulping it down she asked, "What's your name?"

"G- Ga… Gallaya ." She shook off her sleep, "What's wrong.. with me." She gasped.

"You have a fever. We saw you in the meadow. Lord Sesshomaru allowed me to help you. You're the one from the village, right?" the woman nodded, "I think you're sick because of your wound. It' looks really bad."

Gallaya sat up and leaned against the tree, "Thank you. I owe you my life."

"It was Lord Sesshomaru, not me. He acts tough, but he can be nice when he wants to."

"Thank you. Now I owe this Lord Sesshomaru my life, double fold."

At that moment Sesshomaru had returned, "I don't want your life." He leaned against another tree on the other side of their small camp.

"Lady Gallaya-"

"It's not 'lady', it's just Gallaya." She corrected the child.

"Miss Gallaya, I need to redress your wound." She told her.

"I'll do it." Gallaya sat straight, "Where is my sack?"

Rin handed it to her.

Gallaya pulled her arm out of her sleeve and through the large collar of the servant's dress she was wearing. She unraveled the bandages that wrapped her left shoulder. She used another cloth to wipe away some of the blood and puss that lined her wound. Her wound was hot to the touch and looked infected.

"Damn." She said, instantly regretting saying a curse word in the presence of the child.

She rubbed some of the cleaning ointment on before rewrapping it.

Sesshomaru watched her out of the corner of his eyes. He could see the outline of her well defined figure through the fabric of the limp cloth that clung to her features even more than the slip he had first saw her in. (FYI: she had been wearing a slip because her kimono had been ripped to shreds). He knew she was full human, and had no spiritual powers, and he could sense that she wasn't very strong, she probably didn't know how to fight, which wasn't uncommon the woman of her age and station. He wondered why she would risk her life to save the others the way she did. He was certain that she had known the risks.

He saw her pale untanned skin and was reminded of her body's heat that he had felt when she held his hand. He didn't understand what made her fight the way she had, even when she knew she would be defeated. It reminded him so much of his half brother, Inuyasha. Sesshomaru labeled it as a human feeling.

Yet, despite her being a human, he felt drawn to her, and to that infectious determination and constant resolve that he saw in her….

XXXXXX

Did you like it?

It wasn't as long as I had hoped…

I'll try to write more next time…

Oh, by the way…

I killed Santa.

J/k Santa…

Although, if I get coal again, something bad might happen to poor little Rudolph.